Digimon: Digital Soldiers
by DMShade
Summary: Tawny, Rachael, Andrew, Valerie and B.J. - Five Humans with a lot on their shoulders. With their partners and the powers they'll posess, they'll take on Malevolemon and his underlings to prevent Digital Apocalypse! Some Swearing/Blood. Please Review!
1. First Contact

**_Digimon: Digital Soldiers  
Ep.1: First Contact_**  


  
_Undisclosed Location - Not of Our World_  
  
"Things are only getting worse...and our options fewer and fewer..." An aged, calm voice begins.  
"We know that, lad! Forget the problem! What we need is a solution!" A pair of slightly accented voice shot back.   
"Settle, old timer...let him think..." Another replied.   
"It is obvious," The first said, "that these are desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures."  
"You mean...I mean, I THINK you mean...What DO you mean?" Another voice asked, signs of age apparent in his own behavior.   
"He means we're to put our faith in a myth." A last, slightly embittered voice said, accenting his opinion with a snort of disgust.   
"It may be seen as myth now, but the Digital Soldiers, the Living Hope, were real...and they can be again..."   
"How? You sound as though you have got the wheels turning already." The untrusting one said scornfully.   
"I have...I have sought out and summoned those most likely to be part of the Soldiers' Second Coming...five have appeared." He sounded quite pleased with himself.   
"But boss, weren't there NINE Soldiers?" The most youthful of them asked.   
"True...perhaps in time, the legend will return in full..."   
"This is ludicrous!" The agitated one shouted. "To put the fate of our existence in the hands of an incomplete troupe...a motley crue of strangers!"   
"You always disliked their kind, admit it." The other elderly one remarked. "You've never trusted what little examples of humankind you have seen."   
"Enough! We need outside help if we are to continue our way of life. The matter is sealed. We must move forward."   
A snort. "Fine then. I'll go along, but I wholeheartedly disapprove."   
"Good...the potential five are near, awaiting news from me...the five whose destinies are fused with the new soldiers...one of which, much to my surprise, is X."   
"X? You mean...the rebirth of..."   
"Yes...you shall see...let us go our separate ways and look out for our world, while we await the Soldier's arrival. Adjourned."   
  
_Springfield, Missouri - United States_  
  
"Rach! Wait up!" A voice strained to be heard over the thunder of voices and the wash of rain as class let out at the local High School.   
"Tawny! I thought you were being held prisoner by Mr. Davies!" Came the reply, as a brown-haired girl carrying an open umbrella paused in the flow of students. Rachael couldn't help but laugh as her friend shoved her way through, clutching her raincoat to herself.   
"He had an emergency. Bad for him, good for me. Unfortunately that just means I serve my time tomorrow." Tawny made a face.   
"Great...Got time to come to the mall with me? I need to look into something for my Mom." She rolled her eyes.   
Tawny shook her head. "She's got you doing her neurotic-style shopping for her?"   
"Oh yeah...with her ankle sprained AGAIN, she wants to do as little driving as possible."   
They both sighed, then Tawny groaned. "Wal-Mart, here we come."   
"Relax, when we're done, we'll grab a bite at the new fast food place near the mall. My treat."   
"Promise?" Tawny asked.   
"Promise. Least I can do for dragging you along."   
  
"What're we here to find, anyway?" Tawny asked as they walked up and down aisles near the pharmacy.   
Rachael sighed. "Some painkiller for Mom's ankle...I'll remember the name when I see it...and some Tensor Bandages...they're this stretchy fabric you pin in place around a joint when you sprain it...they kinda look like mummy bandages."   
"Night of the Living Dead Mother!" Tawny said in a creepy voice, then shuffled forwards with her arms out, moaning. "Braaains....Braaaaaiiiins!"   
Rachael stifled a laugh. "That's zombies!" She replied, lightly swatting her friend on the shoulder. She went back to scanning the shelves, and paused. "Found it! This is what Mom wanted...and it's less than the other places around here, so I gotta get it for her. Geez, I can't even PRONOUNCE this!"   
"Cool...and are these Tensor Bandages?" Tawny asked, holding up a roll of cream-coloured fabric in a plastic shell.   
"Yep. Let's buy 'em and beat it." Rachael said, taking the roll.   
Tawny paused. "You gonna have enough for some fries, at least?"   
"Relax...I was given some cash in case I found it. I'll have my own. C'mon though, I still have to rush home after." The two quickly made their way to the cashiers. Luckily, they had to spend little time in line, staring at the displays and tabloids.   
They were rung through quickly as well...while Rachael fished for the money, neither she, Tawny, nor the clerk saw a figure in a raincoat reach over and drop something in the bag. Rachael paid, grabbed the bag, and headed out, lamenting at the stormy weather.   
They had only crossed the parking lot when Rachael stopped, lifting the bag up and down. "This thing feels heavier than it should..."   
"Really? Lemme see..." Tawny took the bag and opened it. "Did you buy these things?" She said, taking out two objects. They were shaped like cellular phones, but shorter and wider...rounded on all sides, with a screen and a few unlabeled buttons. One device was Yellow, the other Red.   
"No...they look like small phones...or big pagers..." Rachael took the yellow one and looked it over. "We better take 'em back before they think we stole them.   
"Yeah..."   
They turned back to the store when the devices went off, beeping loudly.   
"Think they set off an alarm?" Rachael asked, looking at it... "Hey! What IS this?" Tawny looked confused. "What?"   
"The display's got my name on it!" She held it out, showing "RACHAEL RUZICKA" On it in clear letters. Tawny spared a look at her own.   
"You're right...TAWNY GOSS..."   
Thunder struck, almost as though cued.   
"How'd it get our names? Some kinda conspiracy thing?" Tawny wondered.   
"Who cares? Let's get rid of 'em!" Rachael said, still staring at the one in her hand. "Huh?" She blinked a few times. "It's saying something...Are You Ready?"   
"Ready? Ready for what?" Tawny said. A digital clock suddenly appeared on both devices, reading 4:14:54.   
"Why would I know?" Rachael said, watching the clock press forward, until, at 4:15:00, it beeped loudly.   
A boom of thunder assaulted them as a lightning bolt hit a phone pole nearby, severing one of the cables, which began falling, headed for Rachael.   
"Rach! Lookout!"   
Rachael seemed to turn in slow motion...just as the cable hit her, there was a flash of electricity...and she was gone.   
"What the..." Before Tawny could even fathom what could have happened, the wire hit the ground, igniting the grass around it...the flames spread as though they had a purpose or plan, and formed a circle around her.   
Before she could react, the fires flared taller than her, converged upon her...then seconds later, extinguished...the only signs the two had been there was Rachael's umbrella, Tawny's raincoat, and the bag, lying on the muddy earth as though discarded...   
  
_Near Worcester, Massachusets - United States_  
  
In a home just outside the town, a young man dressed primarily in black pushed the front door open with his foot.   
"I'm home!" He cried, juggling his backpack in one arm and a package in the other. It was rare anyone else got in before him, but he still instinctively blurted it out every day. He dragged everything to the kitchen and dumped it there, then rummaged in his backpack, producing a sketchbook and art pencils, and sat down to draw, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl nearby. He muttered to himself as he drew for a few minutes, before pausing to realize one thing; he had not looked for whom the package he'd found on the doorstep was addressed to.   
"Not much chance of a mismail out here...and no one's ordered anything online..." He mused as he turned it over and over, looking for stamps. He found none...but one side had something on it in bold letters..."ANDREW CHEN".  
It was addressed to him...and there was no mailing address, return address, stamps or postage marks.   
"Freaky." He began wondering of this was some letter bomb, or a prank...and he doubted he had a secret admirer.   
"One way to know..." He ripped the simple brown paper off and opened the cardboard box. Packing pellets, and tons of them. He dove his hands in and felt around, then cleared the table and dumped everything out, spreading the pellets around. The only things inside were a small, black plastic device, like a child's toy, and an envelope with his name in the same bold letters.   
"This makes less sense than things usually do around here." He muttered, getting a knife and cutting the envelope open.   
The note inside was short and blunt.   
BASEMENT. 5:15 PM.   
Andrew looked at the clock. "10 minutes from now...s'nowhere NEAR my birthday, so no surprise party..." He latched the device to his belt. "Forget it. Probably a prank. Now where's my pop?" He dug in the refrigerator.   
"Here we go...now, I gotta get to work or I'll never-" He turned around to find his sketchbook and bag gone. "...finish?" He scanned the room, finding no signs someone else had even been in. "This is no time for games, honestly..." He checked his living room and the dining room, but came to a stop in the hall.   
The door leading into the basement was slightly open...and the Chens left it closed and locked almost all the time.   
He sighed. "Fine, I'll play...but this rates a 9.0 on the weirdometer..." He hit the switch and descended the wooden stairs, looking around.   
His basement looked no different...boxes of stuff like old christmas decorations, old books and games they never played yet never threw out, an old workbench, dusty - they had few tools around the house - shelves of junk he didn't even bother to identify, an old, but working grandfather clock that had been there when they moved in...and, lying on the floor just in front of it, his bag, neatly zipped up.   
"That 9 just became a 9.5..." He stopped and shook his head as if to clear the thoughts from it. "Enough Twilight Zone, I got homework." He picked up the bag and turned to the stairs.   
Chimes rang.   
"Huh?" He turned back to the clock...it read 5:15...but...that clock had never chimed since they discovered it. Suddenly, with a crackle of electricity, the light in the basement shorted, plunging Andrew into pitch blackness.  
"Okay, I'm scared! You win! C'mon out now, jokes over!" He began to breathe heavily, as the only response he got was the old clock still chiming. At least, for a time...soon a low rumble began to echo in his ears, and the floor under his feet began to vibrate, then shake.   
"To hell with this, I'm gettin' outta here!" He made a mad dash for where he thought the stairs were, but after only a few steps, he heard the sound of cement splitting, and suddenly, there was nothing under his foot when he took his next step...he tumbled forward and screamed, clutching his bag to himself as he felt nothing but rushing air around him as he fell, seemingly forever...   
  
_Marion, Iowa, - United States_  
  
A young woman stood in the midst of a clearance, snow ankle-deep around her, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt on better. The snow had come suddenly, and the garment adorned with the name of her University barely kept her warm.   
"This is the place..." She said, rubbing her arms with her hands, shivering slightly. "Gotta make this quick or I'll catch frostbite."   
She looked around...the local park's trees obscured any view beyond, leaving only the green border, the white snow, and the midafternoon sky.   
"I'm here!" She called out - the message made her presume someone would be there...she just hoped this wasn't a setup for some kind of attack. "What do you want?" She looked at her watch...it was almost quarter after 4...she'd found the note in her bag, VALERIE POWELL scrawled on it, and rushed to the nearby park after class let out to investigate.   
She heard the sound of compacting snow behind her, and whirled around to face a cloaked and hooded figure, all features obscured. It was short...maybe four foot six at best, and...deformed...at least, the way the cloak hung about it didn't denote a healthy human being.   
"What do you want?" She asked, stepping back and fishing in her bag. "This stuff stings like you wouldn't believe!" She pulled out a canister. "Oh damn, this is the computer cleaner..."   
The figure merely lifted an arm, the sleeve of the cloak dangling over it's end, and the wind began to pick up...snow fell harder from the sky above, and that which was already settled was whipped upward like a sandstorm. Valerie shielded her face with her arms, dropping the small can.   
"What IS this? What're you doing!" She suddenly realized her feet felt very cold...looking down, a thin sheet of frost had developed...but when she tried to pull her feet free, it was apparent it was very solid, and spreading up her legs. "Hey! Knock it off!"   
She became desperate. "Look, I don't have any money or anything valuable on me, so you may as well leave me alone..." A tingling around her stomach alerted her that the frost's spread was picking up speed. She struggled and strained for an idea, but before she could create any new plans, her arms were locked in place. She began to scream for help, but after only a single cry the icy sheath overtook her head, silencing her. She was as though a crystalline sculpture of herself.   
The figure snapped its fingers, and the snowstorm died...then, a second later, the icy figure of Valerie shattered, the frosty fragments evaporating quickly...no sign of the girl trapped within could be seen. It lowered it's arm as another flurry of snow swirled around it, and it too was gone.   
Seconds later, someone would run into the clearing, and find the dropped canister, but more importantly, two pairs of footprints that led in, but did not lead out...   
  
_Calgary, Alberta - Canada_  
  
"Yesss! Finally did it!"   
B.J. reveled in the rush of air around him as he shot around the skatepark. It was downtown, and schools had just let out...B.J. was a graduate, didn't attend college, and had no work today...so for a time, the entire skatepark was his...but, it seemed, good things don't last. It was just after 3, and soon people would show...and he would leave.   
He wasn't very good...so the day was perfect for practice, the park deserted...in fact, only weeks ago he couldn't even manage to STOP on rollerblades...now he shot around the park without fear. He rarely tried any tricks yet, but one he'd been particularly working on had just been executed, flawlessly, despite the weight of the bag slung over his shoulder, the strap across his front like an ammo belt. He didn't know any stunt names, he just skated for fun...   
He heard someone clearing their throat, and turned around to see - or rather, somehow feel - someone in the shadows near the concrete enclosure that held a hot dog stand which was closed for the season. He instantly became self-conscious.   
"Look, don't laugh. I suck, okay? That short grind's a big accomplishment for me." He said quietly.   
"Relax...I am not here to judge..." The voice was low and a little gravelly...B.J. souldn't see a single detail of the figure. "...but I will say, for someone of your size and build, you're quite agile."   
"Thanks, I guess." B.J. scratched the back of his head, blushing...he stood just a fraction of an inch shy of six feet tall, and weighed more than someone like him should, though he did not look overweight.   
"Young man...don't you feel...out of place?"   
"Huh? Well, here yeah...I'm not very good like I said..." B.J. mumbled.   
"Not in this park...in life...do you not feel...you have somewhere...to be?" The gravelly voice said.   
B.J. made his way forward, a bit shakily, as he was moving uphill. "Not really...are you trying to get philosophical on me?"   
Now only the shape of a head...or a hood, at least, could be made out... "In a sense...I'm here about your fate."   
"Can't help ya...I don't believe in it...too depressing thinking I have no, or minimal control over my life..."   
"Tell me..." The shadowed one continued. "...have you ever felt as though there is something waiting for you? Something...greater than the average human future?"   
B.J. paused. "Yeah, kinda...at least, I always hope for it."   
"I see..." The figure seemed to think, then looked up. "Come no closer, please. Young man, would you do me a favour?"   
"Depends." he asked skeptically.   
"Just hold on to this..." Something flew out at him, and B.J. barely caught it. He looked the small item over...it was kind of white, kind of grey...being slightly colourblind, he couldn't really tell...it was the colour of winter mist or fog, kind of silvery...   
"That all?" He asked.   
"Well...I noticed you manage to jump very high off one particular ledge...could you...show me how high you can go?"   
"You mean, like, all out? Get as much air as possible?"   
"Yes...I was impressed by it...perhaps you could...just to show off a little." The voice said.   
"Uh, alright...but odds are I'll wind up on my ass." B.J. said, skating off to a high point of the area to gain speed.  
"Whichever way you wind up..." The figure spoke so it would not be overheard, "It will be a new perspective..." The figure held a cloaked arm out, rolling his wrist in circles...the wind seemed to pick up, as though stirred by the hand.   
"Alright, one jump, then I gotta bail before others show. Here goes!" He rolled down the steep incline, headed for the ramp. _Steady_, he thought to himself.   
_Steady_, the figure thought as well, as he held the force he'd summoned at bay, waiting...   
"And...we, have, LIFTOFF!" B.J. leapt off the ramp's egde, drawing his feet into himself.   
"Indeed we DO!" The figure released the winds gathered, a small scale twister shooting out and catching the young man in midair.   
"Whoah! Lemme down...stop the ride, I wanna get off!" The twister soon became a sphere of whirling wind, holding the young man, who twisted about in every direction, in it's midst.   
B.J. could make nothing out...sky and concrete blended together, blurred by the wind in his face, its howl drowning out all hearing...they seemed to intensify, the wind closing in around him, until for a second he felt he WAS the storm...a second later, he lost consciousness.   
The sphere of wind had drawn into itself and vanished, taking with it its unwilling passenger. His blades and safety equipment dropped to the concrete as though merely held and released from their former height. The figure watched a moment more, then turned and walked away.   
"To his credit, he did not react as badly as I anticipated." The figure muttered to itself, before fading into the shadows.   
  
_Not of Our World_  
  
"What TIME is it?" An impatient voice whined, coming from a purple figure with pointed ears and a bandana, wringing red-gloved hands.   
"Five minutes since the last time you asked, ten since the time before that, and fifteen minutes since before THAT." A voice that could only be described as reptilian hissed, as a black dinosaur shifted in his seat, staring out the window at the beach. The small hut was barely shelter for the cold sea wind.   
"That'd make it...what?" Impmon asked, counting on his fingers.   
"Does it look like any of us have WATCHES, Impmon? Geez..." A blue creature spoke up. "Speaking of time, did they give us ANY idea how long it'd be?"   
"I really couldn't care." A hard but feminine voice interrupted, issued forth from the muzzle of a yellow, bipedal fox. "I just wish we didn't have to wait here. I hate the water."   
"No kiddin'...Renamon gets splashed, and she'd smell like a wet dog for hours!" Impmon joked, holding his nose.   
"How would YOU like to smell like singed flesh for a while?" She growled, taking a step towards him.   
"Easy, toots, easy!" Impmon stepped back, hands out in front of him. "Just trying to lighten the mood..."   
"Forget lightening the mood..." A dragonlike being with leathery material like wings attached to his arms said, silently standing at the door until then. "The sky just turned dark...I think...I think they're coming."   
"How can you tell?" The blue creature asked.   
The one at the door held a clawed finger to its lips. "Be still a moment, Veemon, everyone...can you feel it?"   
Silence reigned for a moment, then Renamon spoke up. "I...think I feel it, Monodramon...Like a piece of myself, something important, is nearby..."   
"I feel it too...strongly...wait...not IT...HER..." The black reptile spoke quietly.   
"You can sense your partner's a girl, X?" Impmon asked.   
"Yes...I don't know how...but I know...my partner is female..." he said, standing and watching the sky turn ever darker.   
"So do I...mine is a female, as well." Monodramon said.   
"I'm gettin' somethin' now too!" Impmon said happily. "Nothin' much...I see brown hair..."   
"Dark clothing..." Renamon muttered.   
Veemon raised his head to the view outside. "An amulet...looks like the thing on it could be a Dramon of some kind...and a ring with funny marks on it around that..."   
"It must be them." X said, moving to the door. "Our destiny..."   
"Let's go!" Impmon pushed past the others to the door.   
Everyone had made their way out as a flash like lightning came from above, but no thunder followed. When their eyes had readjusted, they almost missed a series of splashes, as though something were dropped in the water from on high.   
"What was that?" Veemon said, stepping toward the water...just as a head broke the surface, gasping for air. It was followed by 2 others, and soon they were all headed for shore...a fourth broke the surface, dragging something with it. Once the first three had composed themselves as best they could, they looked back, then ran back in to assist.   
They were humans, the Digimon were all sure...five of them...but one was being dragged ashore...he was unconscious.   
"Is he breathing?" One asked...a female with long brown hair.   
A male in black attire pressed a hand to his neck, then laid an ear near his mouth. "Yeah, and his pulse is okay...looks like he's stunned."   
"That makes more than one of us." Another girl responded, wringing water from her hooded sweatshirt. "Where the hell ARE we?"   
"I dunno...but we better help him somewhere warm...the cold could cause complications. You, grab his legs." The male replied.   
"I have a NAME, you know!" The last of them said, reaching down.   
"How would I know? Do I LOOK like a psychic?"   
"This isn't the time." The brown-haired girl replied "Let's get him indoors. Introductions later."   
"Let us help!"   
The humans turned to see a small band of...MONSTERS...headed for them. After a moment of shock, they did the common thing. They freaked.   
"What ARE those things, Rach?"   
"I dunno...they might think this guy's a fresh kill."   
"Stand back! I've got mace!" The girl in the soaked sweatshirt cried, digging in her backpack.   
"I know Judo!" The one whose name was 'Rach' said, taking stance in front of the group.   
"You do NOT, your stance is all wrong!" The young man in black said.   
"It's a bluff, you moron!"   
"Humans! Calm down!" Renamon said. "We wanna help!"   
The two who had almost begun to argue paused, and spoke in unison. "They can TALK?"   
"Look, we'll explain later." X said, walking past them to pick the unconscious one up by the shoulders. "Let us get your friend somewhere warm." he said, smiling slightly at the young woman at the feet of the invalid human.  
"Uh, okay." She said, a bit stunned. The monsters led the humans back to the shack they had been taking shelter in.   
  
"So...what is your name? And your friends' names? Where are you from?" Monodramon asked one of them, as she hung her sweatshirt near the fire to dry, and huddled close to the flames in a T-shirt just as soaked.   
"Valerie Powell, Marion Iowa, and I don't know these people." She said between chattering teeth.   
"You don't?" Renamon said, then turned to the others. "Then...who are all of you?"   
"I'm Rachael Ruzicka, and this is my friend Tawny, Tawny Goss. We're from Missouri." The brown-haired girl replied.   
Her companion shyly raised a hand, but didn't wave. "Hey."   
"My friends call me Darkness...what friends I have...but if you must know, Andrew Chen. Worcester, Massachusets."   
"What about him?" Impmon said, pointing to the unconscious one laid out before the firepit.   
"Let's see..." Valerie checked his pockets, and fished out a wallet. "Here's some ID...Benjamin Jacob Pepin...age 21...Calgary, Alberta? Wow...this guy's from north of the border!"   
"Huh?" Darkness asked.   
Valerie rolled her eyes. "Canadian...they held the G8 summit in his hometown...don't you ever hear or read the news?"   
Realization dawned. "Oh yeah! That! The place where the protesters wrote their slogan across their-"  
"As if that helps us..." Tawny said, cutting Andrew short. "This doesn't look like the U.S. OR Canada...so, where are we?"   
"The digital world, duh!" Impmon responded. "Kind of like a reflection of your world."   
Renamon added "But for all the ways it is similar, there are just as many ways it is different...for one, humankind doesn't exist here, much like we do not exist in your world.".   
"And what are you?" Andrew asked. "We got a black lizard, a fox, some kinda devil thing, and two...I don't know HOW to describe those two." He pointed to Veemon and Monodramon.   
"We're digimon...we're the primary species here...the Humans of the Digital World." X said, answering Andrew's question...though he never stopped looking at Tawny, who was becoming nervous.   
"Would you stop that? You make me feel as though you're still going to eat me." She said, squirming in her seat.   
X turned away a bit, not knowing how intense his gaze had been. "Sorry...but you feel...familiar...when I look at you, I get a sense of myself...and what I could be." He played with the red, spiked collar around his neck.   
"Don't mind X..." Veemon said. "He's a little confused and stuff...as far as we all know, he's the only Black Agumon in the world!"   
"Really? Cool..." Rachael said, looking to the others. "So...you know our names...what're yours?"   
"I'm Veemon." The blue creature responded, pulling everything he could from the unconscious human's wallet and examining it.   
"You know X...I am Renamon." The golden-furred fox found a seat, lotuslike, on the floor.   
The creature with leathery, wing-like folds on his arm raised a hand, the material stretching to the fullest. "Monodramon here!"   
The purple devil sat down and crossed his arms, smirking. "And I'm the leader of this pack. Name's Impmon."   
"Leader? Is that a joke? If we even HAD a leader, it wouldn't be YOU." Veemon laughed.   
Impmon was on his feet in seconds, fists clenched. "Is that a challenge, blue boy?"   
"If you wanna MAKE it one..."   
"Enough, both of you!" Renamon interceded. "This is not the way to make a good impression on our partners."  
"Partners?" Andrew asked.   
"Legend states each Digimon has a human match...like a soulmate...but the connection is deeper than just friendship." X sat down on a couch, beside Tawny, again addressing the room but only looking at her. "We were told humans were coming, and each would be a match for one of us. I'm not sure how I know, but I know which is mine." He reached up and put a hand on Tawny's shoulder and smiled, accidentally showing a LOT of teeth. "Tawny Goss, you are my partner. I am sure of it."   
Tawny blinked, silent for a few moments. Eventually, she managed a single, weak "Me?".   
"Andrew is mine...he is the only one dressed as I envisioned." Renamon continued.   
"Okay...cool, then." Andrew said, then muttered. "This is too strange even for one of MY dreams..."   
"Long brown hair..." Impmon said, looking up at Rachael. "You must be mine. Put 'er there!" He held a hand out.   
"I guess this is my welcome aboard." Rachael chuckled. _May as well roll with it_, she thought to herself.   
Monodramon looked between the two remaining. "My partner is female, according to my vision...and there's only one left...so it must be you, Valerie Powell."   
"Just Valerie, please." She acted a little self conscious.   
Veemon looked at the prone form in front of the fire. "Guess that means Sleeping Beauty is my partner..." He searched around his neck. "But I don't see...waitaminute..." He carefully picked up a silver chain around the young man's neck, and followed it around his throat. "It's the Amulet! He IS mine!"   
"Well, now that THAT'S outta the way, what do we do now?" Impmon asked.   
"We weren't told...the Elders' Council only told us to come here." Monodramon said.   
"Then should we go back to these guys?" Tawny said.   
"They spoke to us in dreams...we don't know WHERE to go." X replied.   
"It doesn't matter..." Andrew said, looking over to the fire. "We're not going anyplace. Until Ben here wakes up...IF he wakes up...we may as well get comfortable."   
"There are bunkbeds down that hallway..." Renamon said, pointing. "This used to be an Inn for seafaring Digimon, before the village and it's port fell apart."   
"May as well get some rest." Rachael said, standing up. "Almost gettin' electrocuted takes it out of you...if I hadn't wound up here, I'd be dead!"   
"Not the best way to travel, I take it." Impmon said.   
"No kiddin'."   
"I'm gonna stay here and watch Ben..." Tawny said.   
"As will I...when he wakes, he most likely will be disoriented, and very frightened." X added.   
Renamon calmly added "I am not tired, so I will remain here as well.".   
"Sorry, 'partner', but I'm beat." Andrew moved to an empty couch. "I'll nap right here."   
Valerie and Monodramon responded as one. "I'm turning in." They paused, looked at each other, laughed, then replied in unison again. "WE'RE turning in."   
"Well then, see ya in the morning." Impmon said, following Rachael out. Everyone else settled in as they saw fit.   
  
Some time later all was quiet. Everyone had given in to sleep, even Renamon, who had leapt into the rafters and settled there. Everyone, save for two.   
"Lemme see if I got this straight...Humans are rumoured to somehow make you guys stronger?"   
"Yes...and it is almost totally fact. I can draw power from you in some intangible manner to fight, defend...even change my form."   
"Change form, X? Seriously?" Tawny's eyes grew wide.   
"Yes...it's referred to as digivolution...usually, it takes years to amass that kind of power...but through humans, we can, though briefly, ascend to that higher level."   
Tawny was silent a moment. "Heck of a trick from a species that can't defend itself without weapons...unless you count those Karate, Tae Kwon Do, 'Judo Chop!' people."   
"Funny you should mention that...the elders told me you're slightly different from other humans. There are weapons out there...ancient artifacts, that can unlock powers dormant in the human race." X looked out the window. "They're little more than a fairy tale, and a very short one at that...any real knowledge has been lost to time...but they insist these special items, as well as the Myth of the Digital Soldiers, is real."   
"Lemme guess...WE'RE these 'Digital Soldiers'." Tawny said, disbelieving.   
"I dunno...I THINK they think we are...but c'mon...I cannot see myself as any hero of legend."   
"That makes two of us."   
"It's not that..." X looked at the floor. "I have...a history...an unpleasant past, rather..."   
"Oh..." Tawny put an arm around the black Agumon. "You...probably don't wanna talk about it, do you?" X merely nodded. "If you ever do, come straight to me, K?" She smiled warmly. "After all, I'm your partner, right?"  
He smiled weakly, and leaned into her arm a little. "Right."  
Tawny chuckled and got comfortable, finally feeling the need for sleep pull at her. "I could get used to this..."   
"So..." X yawned. "...so could I..."   
Less than a moment later, they were both out.   
  
B.J. was starting to feel uncomfortable, and hot on one side...he rolled away from it, and slowly opened his eyes.   
"Unghh...what the...when'd I go to...nevermind...my head's all foggy..." He got to his feet and looked around...the building he was in looked a little worn down. The fire in the hearth had died out, and recently. _Was I...kidnapped or something?_ He could see vague silhouettes in the darkness. I'd better bail...quietly...   
He sneaked toward the door, watching each step, pulling away from the slightest creak in the floorboards. It didn't take much effort...moving around his home late at night without waking anyone else was a skill he'd had to aquire. He grabbed the doorknob and turned, painstakingly slow, until he felt it give way, opening toward him. The night outside was a bit cold and windy, but he thought he could manage, especially in the situation he thought he was in. He set the door in place and turned slowly, but lost his grip on the knob, and it clicked into place. For a moment, he was still, then, after a few steps away from the shack, he took off at a fast clip, not knowing someone had been awake through most of his escape...   
"What...the hell?" The sight of a beach and rolling waves was a slap in the face for him. "I don't live anywhere NEAR the coast...any coast..." He audibly gulped. "Toto, I don't think we're in Calgary anymore..."   
He turned down the beach and began thinking. "No matter WHICH way home is, it's a LOOONG road..." He bit his knuckle in thought. "...But step one is finding out just WHICH way to go. This place is a little too bleak for B.C....maybe I'm in the Maritimes...then again, how would I know...I need some help here."   
The scenery didn't provide many options...what buildings were around were in ruin...the only one that was passing livable had been the shack he'd snuck out of...out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadow further down the beach. Turning towards it, one became many...perhaps half a dozen.   
"Hey! Excuse me!" He waved and called out. The figures paused, and seemed to turn toward him. "Could you give me directions?" He ran toward the group.   
Before he could make out the shapes, a harpoon hit the sand inches from his feet. He barely stopped in time.   
"Hey! What the hell kinda hello do you...call..." B.J. let the sentence hang...the silhouettes were NOT human.   
"Whattaya think it is?" One figure asked.   
"Never seen the likes of it before..." The moonlight emerged from behind a cloud, revealing a school of blue-skinned, three-foot-tall amphibians. "It's got no claws, no scales, no fangs, nothin'!"   
B.J. backed up a step. "What ARE you?"   
"We're Scubamon. Are you one of those human things?"   
"Uh, yeah, I am." He responded, a little confused.   
"He IS human!"   
"Hey...weren't we told to watch for them?" One of the Scubamon asked another.   
"Yeah! Why're we standing around? GET IT!" A chorus of cheers ensued, followed by a volley of harpoons.   
"WHOAH!" B.J. pulled a 180 and ran, tearing up the sand. "Note to self, wherever I am, don't get close to the locals!"   
"Diamond Storm!"   
"Huh? Ahh!" B.J. dived to the beach as a flurry of sharp, icy-looking shards flew overhead. Luckily, the Scubamon broke off their attack as well. He looked up to find a yellow fox on two legs glaring down at him.   
"Ugh..." He lay his face down in the sand, hands over his head. "Monster Central...what I wouldn't give for a human face around here!"   
"Renamon! Are you gonna tell me what's...Ben! What are you doing out here!" A male voice responded.   
"Huh?" B.J. looked up past the vulpine, to someone a little younger than him in black attire running to catch up...other people and monsters close behind.   
"Our sleepy friend found his way outside...and he found trouble too. These Scubamon aren't exactly friendly." Renamon replied.   
"Oh, brother...hey, you okay?" A young woman in a hooded sweatshirt stepped up, holding out a hand.   
"Uh, yeah...apart from the twin heart attacks..." He pushed himself to his feet. "Where the heck IS this?"   
"Long story. Right now, looks like you met some bad company." She responded.   
B.J. scratched the back of his head. "No kidding."   
"So, Renamon..." The young man in black said. "What are we supposed to do with them?"   
Renamon didn't move. "Well...first, I think we give them a chance to run...and if they don't, then we deal with them."   
"Deal with THIS!" Another harpoon was pitched, headed straight for B.J....until a blue blur caught it.   
Veemon drove the harpoon into the sand beside him. "They NEVER take the opportunity, do they?"   
"Nope. Everyone, CHARGE!" Renamon led the way into the fight, the other digimon right behind.   
"What's going ON?" B.J. wailed.   
"Apparently, we're not exactly welcomed by everyone around here." Darkness mumbled.   
"Why are we standing here? We gotta help!" Valerie added, driving her fist into her open palm.   
"How? We'd be shisk-kebabed!" Rachael replied.   
"We gotta do something, though...after all, we're their partners or something. Right?" Tawny said, almost not being heard.   
"What?" B.J. said.   
"It's a bond...we may not fully understand it...but they need us here...as much as we need them." Without another word or gesture, Tawny stepped forward, and was soon running into the fray.   
"She's right, I guess." Rachael took a deep breath, then took off in a sprint. "BANZAI!"   
Andrew was a heartbeat behind. "Here comes the cavalry!"   
B.J. stared, dumbfounded. "What's the deal here?"   
Valerie laid a hand on his shoulder. "You kind of missed Digital World 101...we'll fill you in later. For now, just fight!" She took off as well.   
B.J. blinked, then shrugged. "When in Rome..."   
Harpoons were everywhere...the monsters on both sides were a blur, the humans going between and doing what they could. B.J. could barely take it all in. He had little time, because as soon as he ran in, a Scubamon leapt at him, harpoon at the ready.   
"Vee headbutt!" A blue blur slammed into the fishy creature, driving it off course. It turned to him. "You okay?"  
"I think so..." B.J. mumbled, then looked beyond him. "Look out!" Veemon turned to find a Scubamon had slipped up behind him, primed to stab him.   
"HYAH!" B.J. covered the few steps, leapt, and drove both feet into the enemy's face, sending him flying. The creature disintegrated when it hit the beach. B.J. hit the sand on his back. "Oof!"   
Veemon looked down at him. "I owe ya one."   
"Nah, I just broke it even."   
A few steps away, Rachael and Tawny, back to back, grabbed a Scubamon each by the wrist, then turned and slammed their resprective attackers into one another. The fishy fiends stumbled to their feet groggily, trying to recollect themselves to attack the young women again.   
"Aw no ya don't! Bada BOOM!" The purple bandit pitched a fireball at the pair.   
"Pepper Breath! HAH!" The black dino coughed up another fireball, pinning down the two with no place to run. The pair ran screaming into the water to put out the flames.   
At the same time, Andrew was having fun with another, smacking him around almost playfully. He held out his left. "Watch the hand, buddy, watch the hand..." He then lashed out across the Scubamon's jaw with his right. "Wrong hand."   
"Andrew! Get clear!" Renamon shouted, before leaping high and bringing her arms before her. "Diamond Storm!"   
Andrew shoved the amphibian roughly and dived away, the shards peppering the monster's hide before it burst and disintegrated.   
Valerie and Monodramon had the last two back to back, pounding them from opposing sides until they collapsed, vanishing in the same manner as the others.   
The pair that had escaped to the sea took one look at the ten on the beach, turned, and began to swim off. "Forget this, this isn't worth it!"   
"We're not getting paid enough!"   
"We're not getting PAID at all!"   
"When the Lord hears, you'll be sorry!"   
Everyone relaxed.   
"You were great out there!" Impmon said, beaming up at Rachael.   
She blushed. "Thanks...never done that before."   
"Me neither." Tawny added, shivering a bit.   
"You handled yourself quite well...I would not have easily guessed your inexperience." X said, a smile on his muzzle.   
Tawny looked confused. "Uhm...I THINK that was a compliment..."   
"You shouldn't play with your enemy, Andrew. It's disrespectful." Renamon said cooly.   
"Screw that, it was fun!" He answered, unashamed.   
"We work great together! This is a good sign!" Monodramon said.   
"You bet! Gimme five!" Valerie replied, holding her hand out.   
Monodramon tilted his head to one side. "Give you five? Five what?"   
"Nevermind..."   
"Well...that was...unique..." B.J. replied before Veemon tackled him. "Whoah!"   
"Welcome to the waking world, partner!" Veemon hugged the young man tight.   
"Partner?" B.J. looked genuinely confused.   
"C'mon...we'll fill you in." Valerie said, helping him back to his feet. "Truth is, Ben, we all need a little more data."   
"Ben? Uhm, I prefer B.J.. And you are...?" B.J. asked.   
Valerie, looked to the others. "Let's see what I remember...I'm Valerie, and Monodramon's my partner. Then there's Rachael and Impmon, Tawny and X, Andrew and...Renamon, was it?"   
"That's correct." The fox replied.   
"Yeah, she's Renamon. And the blue guy beside you is Veemon. He's your partner, we think."   
"Veemon, huh?" B.J. looked down at him. "Cool. How goes?" He said, extending his hand.   
"Gettin' better all the time!" Veemon said cheerfully, vigorously shaking B.J.'s hand.   
"So...what should we do now? It's still dark." Rachael asked, scanning the horizon as if expecting more monsters.   
"Back to the cabin?" Andrew suggested.   
"There's nothing for us there. Besides, I think we're all pretty well rested, even after that." Valerie said.   
"Besides," Renamon added. "Should those Scubamon call on any friends, they will search there first."   
"Fine. So, what now?" Andrew asked.   
Tawny spoke, again in that voice where she almost went unheard. "We go East."   
"Huh?" X said, looking at her. "East?"   
"I...I dreamed of a figure...a silhouette surrounded in light...he said to go East." She said quietly.   
"Did it look like...a LONG serpent, or a dragon?" Monodramon asked.   
Tawny looked up at him. "Yeah...how'd you know?"   
Monodramon assumed a thoughtful pose. "Azulongmon...you got guidance from the head of the Elder Council."   
"Then East we must go." X answered.   
"Uh, alright then." Valerie responded.   
"What? We're gonna follow a DREAM?" Andrew asked.   
"Got any better ideas?" Tawny said angrily.   
"N-not really...don't take it personal!" Andrew said, putting his hands up defensively.   
"Well then, which way's east?" Rachael asked.   
"Follow me!" Impmon said, heading inland. The others soon formed a loose group, the purple creature at the lead.   
B.J. tugged on Val's sleeve as they walked. "So, Valerie...tell me what you know so far..."   
  
**Well, it's a rocky start, but a start nonetheless. Where their trek'll take them, who knows? I do...and so will you, in the next Digimon: Digital Soldiers!**


	2. Fired Up

**_Digimon: Digital Soldiers  
Ep. 2: Fired Up_**  
  


Andrew sighed. "Sunrise, finally. After what we encountered on that beach, the idea of traveling at night wasn't exactly comforting."  
"I dunno about that...night or day, the sky in this world is beautiful." Tawny said, looking up.  
A few steps behind, B.J. was beginning to grasp what the others had had a few hours to adjust to. "So, lemme get this straight, Valerie...these guys can breathe fire, headslam things, and pitch shards of God-knows-what like knives, right?"  
"Apparently." She replied.  
"And yet...they need US, who at best can pull cheap moves from a wrestling match? Am I the only one who sees a flaw in the logic here?"  
Valerie shrugged. "That's what they're telling us."  
"It's spiritual. A bond, intangible, between the lifeforce of the human and the Digimon...at least, that's the theory." Monodramon interceded.  
"Like a Feng Shui thing? Chi or whatever?" B.J. asked.  
The dragon digimon nodded, crossing his arms. "That's the human answer, I guess."  
"I just don't see it. I mean...you guys just...I SAW what you guys did." He pointed to each example as he mentioned it. "Veemon hit one of them headfirst at Mach 2 and didn't snap his neck, Renamon leapt 20 feet in the air, which is a feat even WITHOUT those shards, Impmon pitched fire like a fastball...the idea of needing us sounds downright ridiculous."  
"Ridiculous or not, it is true." Renamon said simply, slowing her pace until she walked abreast with Monodramon and the two humans. "And that is even BEFORE what you in particular are presumed to be."  
"And what's that?" Valerie said curiously.  
"Soldiers." Tawny said simply. "Digital Soldiers."  
"And how would you know?" Andrew said skeptically. "The Dream Dragon tell you?"  
"Do not speak ill of Azulongmon." Monodramon growled.  
"X explained it." Tawny replied shyly.  
"You TOLD her?" Renamon said, sounding agitated. "Do you realise you could have scared her off?"  
X crossed his arms and casually replied "I explained all I knew.", unashamed to admit it.  
"Alright, what's going on here?" Rachael said angrily. "What're you hiding?"  
"Don't be mad, Rachael! We couldn't take it at first either!" Impmon said, tugging on her sleeve. She quickly pulled her hand away.  
"What've you dragged us into? TALK!" B.J. growled.  
Renamon sighed. "Let's find a place to relax...this will take some time."  
  
Less than five minutes later, the nearly dozen travelers were seated in a clearing in a sparse forest. A loose circle of old logs gave the space the feel of a campsite.  
"Monodramon, this is your territory...you know more about myths, human and digital, than anyone else." Renamon said quietly.  
"Okay, spill about this Soldier thing." Andrew said.  
Monodramon took a deep breath. "The Digital Soldiers are a legend that crops up every few generations, or sometimes just a decade or two apart. Most think it's an ancient myth because the Elder Council can somehow wipe their existence from the minds of those who need not remember them."  
"Conspiratorial, almost." Tawny mumbled.  
Monodramon ignored the comment. "Each generation of them varies, from numbers to how they are composed. Each Soldier is representative of one of the Nine Elements of the Digital World; Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Earth, Ice, Light, Darkness, and Soul. The Soldiers are called upon to deal with forces the Digital World alone cannot handle."  
"So what, we're superheroes? C'mon!" Valerie looked ready to burst out laughing.  
X responded. "Yes, and no. Of course, you're not expected to do it alone. You have us."  
"Well, we know YOU'RE capable. It's us I worry about." B.J. said.  
"Well, there is something to help THAT as well..." Veemon said. "The Arms of the Elements. Weapons suited to each Soldier. I remember that."  
"Weapons?" Andrew said. "I'm not comfortable holding ANYTHING that could hurt someone."  
"They grant some control over their particular force. In addition to that, there are even other abilities inherent to the Digital Soldiers." Monodramon finished.  
"Like what?" Rachael asked.  
"Even I don't know that." Monodramon said, looking down. "All I know is that the Elder Council called us, and said that humans were coming...our partners...and the next Digital Soldiers. I realize this all seems farfetched, even impossible."  
"Damn right! Me a hero? I can't even make a hero sandwich!" B.J. joked weakly.  
"There is nothing to be done about it. As far as the Council is concerned, you ARE the next wave of Digital Soldiers, and we are your partners." Renamon said it as though simple fact.  
"We found it hard to accept too..." Veemon said. "But we accepted it. You guys can too."  
"This is a hell of a lot. What are we supposed to do about it?" Tawny said, staring at her feet.  
"What Azulongmon told you to do. Go east." X said.  
"Like NOTHING happened?" Valerie said indignantly.  
Monodramon sighed. "Not really."  
"You guys have been taking us for a ride this whole time..." Rachael muttered angrily.  
"We didn't mean to, Rachael, honest!" Impmon said. "We wanted to ease you guys into it! Humans aren't famous for even accepting the fact they're not on their world anymore...how were we supposed to spring THIS on you?"  
"Well, we have nowhere better to be..." Valerie said, defeated. "We may as well go with it."  
"Yeah...but I'm gonna be watching what you do and say for a while!" B.J. replied, glaring at Veemon, who shrank back a bit.  
"Fine. Let's continue." Renamon said, standing. "At the pace we were going, we should reach Mechtropolis by midday."  
"Mechtropolis?" Andrew asked.  
"A city built around a number of old factories." Monodramon replied. "They make almost everything there."  
"Maybe we can get some supplies." X suggested. "I do not think humans live in the wild like we can."  
"Maybe we can hit a restauraunt too, I'm starvin'!" Impmon added.  
"Me too! We haven't eaten in a day, at least!" Veemon held his stomach, which growled audibly, as if on cue.  
"I'm hungry too." Tawny said, half-whining.  
"Let's just go." Valerie said, picking up her backpack.  
  
The bulk of their journey was in silence, each staring into space, placing one foot in front of the other, zombie-like.  
_So, we're these so-called Soldiers..._ Valerie thought to herself, not knowing each of the others were thinking along the same lines.   
_Us, save the world? C'mon!_ Rachael shook her head in disbelief.  
_I don't even know these people, how can I trust them?_ Andrew wrung his hands as he worried.  
_How can THEY trust ME?_ B.J. thought, looking from person to person.  
Tawny instead looked at each Digimon in turn. _I hope their faith in us is justified..._  
"Tawny? Tawny, are you alright?" X asked, shaking her arm.  
She broke from her reverie. "Huh? Oh...I'm fine, I guess."  
"You aren't. Even with what I told you at first, you're scared."  
She smirked. "Busted. Yeah, I'm scared."  
"It'll be fine, promise." X hugged his partner tightly for a second. "You would not be a Digital Soldier if you were not meant to be...if you could not handle it."  
"Maybe." She said quietly, not believing it.  
"You CAN handle it, Tawny. You'll see." X said reassuredly.  
"I hope so..."  
  
"I see buildings!" Rachael cried, running ahead.  
B.J. was close behind. "Industrial buildings, factories...this must be Mechtropolis."  
"You got it!" Impmon replied. "Mechtropolis: If ya can't get it here, then ya don't need it!"  
"You seem to know a lot." Monodramon said as he and Valerie approached.  
Impmon smiled proudly. "You want to know about big business, you talk to me."  
"One problem, guys...those Scubamon sure weren't big on humans...do we really wanna walk into a city full of strange Digimon?" B.J. said, remembering the half-dozen near-impalings he dodged.  
"Good point." Monodramon said, thinking. "It's obvious the enemy is everywhere."  
"So what do we do?" Tawny asked. "Disguises?"  
"We have nothing to work with." Andrew said. "Unless someone has an entire wardrobe in their bag." At this, everyone searched through their bags to see what they had.  
"I've got my sweatshirt, organizer, and stuff for class." Valerie reported.  
"Pretty much the same for me." Tawny added.  
"I've got my laptop...not like that'd help, the water probably trashed it." B.J. said. "Don't even have my blading equipment...must have lost them coming to this world."  
Rachael sighed and zipped her bag back up. "Nothing of use here..."  
"Me neither..." Andrew added. "Just my art stuff...sketchbook, pencils and grease pencils...glue, chalk, paints and brushes..."  
"Oil or water?" Renamon asked.  
Andrew blinked. "Huh?"   
"Nevermind, they'll do. Impmon, Veemon, everyone, huddle." The other Digimon grouped around the fox, whispering.  
"What're they talking about?" Andrew asked.  
B.J. shook his head. "Dunno."  
"Yeah! That'll work...maybe." Veemon cried.  
"Take a lot of work..." Monodramon added.  
Renamon stood up again. "Andrew, empty your bag...the rest of you, anything not valuable, dump it."  
"What do you mean?" Tawny asked.  
"Paper and such...expendable materials." X noted. Everyone began sorting through their belongings. Soon they had a pile of paper, textbooks and such.  
"Not like that Final is a concern anymore..." Rachael joked, throwing her books into the pile. Renamon nodded. "Right...Let's get to work...X, Impmon, prep the materials. Veemon, set up the paints. I'll gather additional materials." She shot off back into the woods.  
"Valerie...can I borrow your sweater?" Monodramon asked.  
"What do you need it for?" She asked.  
"Look, I promise I'll replace it..."  
"REPLACE IT? What are you gonna DO to it?" She said suspiciously.  
"Just let me have your sweatshirt!" Monodramon pleaded.  
"Fine." Valerie said, fishing it out of her bag.  
"Don't worry! This is a BRILLIANT Idea!" He said.  
  
_Some Time Later..._  
"THIS was your brilliant Idea?" Valerie cried.  
"Considering the supplies we had on hand, this is actually very good." X said simply.  
Over the last hour, the digimon had made papier mache, and along with branches and such from the woods, which Renamon had carefully shaped, they formed accurate, if slightly crude accessories to their disguise Ideas. Andrew's paints had been key in making them as believable as possible.  
"Man...this was my favourite sweatshirt..." Valerie griped...it had been cut, molded and painted into a blue and white pelt, complete with a mask-like head made from the hood...a paper-mache, yellow-orange horn had been glued to it, positioned to rest in the middle of her forehead, not to mention her face painted to match.   
Monodramon reassured his partner. "It works! You may not look EXACTLY like a Gabumon, but you'll pass!"  
"And what the heck am I? Where'd you find all these feathers?" Rachael said. "This mantle-thing is really heavy, and I can't see well through this helmet."  
"I had to reinforce it to hold the wings up. You make a good Garudamon, even if you are really, REALLY small for one..." Impmon said. "Just watch how you walk...took forever to mold those talons on your shoes..."  
"What about me? I look like a Mushroom!" Andrew complained, pushing the bizarre cap out of his eyes, adjusting the purple gloves made from remnants of Val's sweater, and staring at his similarly-painted shoes.  
Renamon sighed. "Mushroomon, Andrew. It was all I could think of...are you uncomfortable?"  
He crossed his arms and grumbled. "Not PHYSICALLY..."  
"This isn't BAD...I feel like that kid in Elementary who had to be a tree in school plays, though." Tawny commented on her own attire, leaves everywhere, skin painted green, and a huge tropical flower tied to her head. "So what am I, X?"  
"Palmon. Remember it, in case we get separated." X said. "I think I did the best job..."  
"This stuff's makin' my face itch, and my scalp too." B.J. grumbled.  
"Don't scratch, it'll come off!" Veemon said, holding up his hands. B.J. was wearing a papier mache helmet with molded horns, blue and white face paint, and glued-on claws...a large papier mache horn was even glued to his nose, and a tail to the back of his jeans.  
"You look like Veemon's big brother!" Tawny laughed.  
"Veedramon, actually." Renamon said. "So you ARE correct."  
"There IS a resemblance..." Valerie said, stifling her own laughter.  
"Guys, c'mon!" B.J. shrugged it off. "But...won't our clothes give us away?"  
"Nah, some digimon have clothes...most of us don't prefer them." Impmon said. "You'll stick out a bit, so be careful." Impmon paced in front of them. "All right, troops, this has to be believable, so listen up! If you don't know what someone's talking about, play dumb...you'll be doing that a lot."  
The disguised humans glared at him.  
"Hey, it's the truth! Second, stay with the group, or at least one of us whenever you can...Finally, remember your cover...just as a test, Sound Off!"  
"Garudamon, SIR!" Rachael shot off sarcastically.  
"Gabumon...I STILL don't like this Idea..." Valerie said.  
"P...Palmon?" Tawny said, not sure she remembered. X nodded.  
"How embarassing...Mushroomon..." Andrew said, arms still crossed in agitation.  
B.J. sighed. "Vee..dramon...Right?"  
"Good!" Mondramon said. "Time for the acid test. Let's go."  
"Company...Forward...MARCH!" Impmon called out, taking point. "Hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three four..."  
"Impmon?" Rachael said, adjusting her helmet.  
"Yeah Rach...I mean Garudamon?" He replied  
All the humans chimed in with her. "Give it a rest!"  
"Fine, Sheesh, some Digimon you guys make..."  
  
Getting into town turned out to be quite simple...though the humans in their Digi-Disguises got a few stares, and overheard mumbled comments about their appearance, no one seemed to see through the paint and plaster.  
"This wasn't so hard!" Andrew/Mushroomon said, still fidgeting with his gloves.  
"I STILL feel silly." B.J./Veedramon replied.  
"It doesn't matter. The material is doing its job." Renamon said cooly. "Now...let's procure what we need."  
"Right!" Tawny/Palmon began listing things off on her fingers. "Food, basic camping stuff, maybe a map..."  
"I wanna get my laptop looked at." B.J./Veedramon interceded.  
"One thing we're forgetting, guys...how are we going to PAY?" Veemon asked. All ten of them paused, and the humans checked their pockets.  
"Twenty Bucks U.S...." Rachael/Garudamon replied.  
"I'm flat broke." Tawny/Palmon said.  
Andrew/Mushroomon nodded. "Same here."  
"I've got nothing but pocket change." Valerie/Gabumon added. "Is there a currency exchange? Will it even take what we have?"  
"There should be...small amounts of currency from your world are flowing around..." Monodramon said sagely.  
"B...I mean...Veedramon? What do you have?" Impmon asked.  
"N...Nothin'." he stammered.  
"Liar, I know you have some, I saw your wallet!" Veemon said.  
"Hold him!" Renamon said, grabbing an arm, others following suit. B.J./Veedramon put up one hell of a fight, but was held fast, and his wallet checked.  
"Wow...120 bucks! Granted that's Canadian, but it'll help!" Tawny/Palmon said, handing back the wallet.  
"Not fair! I just got paid!" B.J./Veedramon whined, snatching back the wallet. "I didn't even get to catch a movie or get lunch or ANYTHING!"  
"It's for the cause. I had to give up my Paints and paper..." Andrew/Mushroomon grumbled.  
"Let's just find a currency exchange, then plan everything." Val/Gabumon said.  
"There's one over this way." Impmon said, pointing. "I, uh, passed through here on the way to the coast."   
The currency exchange was a simple stand made of molded plastic in the middle of the market, awnings set up to keep the sun and rain out. A Gazimon ran the stand. "Can I help you?" He asked cheerfully.  
Renamon took the front. "We have some Terran currency we need exchanged."  
Tawny/Palmon leaned closer to B.J./Veedramon. "Terran?"  
"It's like the latin name for Earth, or something like that. I'm not sure." He said, shrugging.  
"I'll need to examine it...someone came through a while ago with some fake Japanese bills." He said. "Let's see it."  
Rachael/Garudamon felt something behind her, and looked beneath a molded wing to see Impmon staying out of the Gazimon's sight. "Is that so..." She said a little sarcastically.  
"Let's see..." He ran them over with what looked like a supermarket barcode scanner. "All genuine! Real United States and Canadian currency! This stuff is practically collector's goods."  
"What is it worth?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.  
"One at a time..." The Gazimon checked a display on the cash register. "US Dollars to Digi-Dollars is 3 to 1, so that's 60 Digi-Dollars..."  
"Wow, Cool!" Rachael/Garudamon said, beaming...the US currency had been HERS, after all.  
"And Canadian...hmmm...Well, you guys really struck pay dirt. 7 to 1, so that's 840 Digi-Dollars!"  
Four Digi-Disguised Humans jaws dropped...the fifth looked like someone struck him in the back of the head.  
"WHAT?" Valerie/Gabumon began to rant. "How the hell can Canadian money be worth more than Ameri-MMMPH!" She was silenced and pulled away by Monodramon and X.  
"That's 900 Digi-Dollars...thanks for your business." The Gazimon gave Renamon the money. She thanked him and turned away.   
"Come on, everyone." Renamon said, laughing. B.J./Veedramon was the first to recover.  
"About time we got our due." He chuckled, pushing Andrew's open jaw closed. The other's recovered after about half a block of marching dumbfounded.  
"Okay, NOW what?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.  
"I'M holding the money." Rachael/Garudamon said, reaching for it.  
"No way!" Tawny/Palmon grabbed her wrist. "I've SEEN you at the mall."  
Impmon jumped in. "I'm the brains here, I should hold the money!" Soon he and all the humans were fighting, save for B.J./Veedramon, who sat there shaking a bit in agitation.  
"STOP IT!" He cried. "This is totally immature! You're acting like CHILDREN, for God's Sake!"  
Everyone paused...Impmon almost ready to bite Andrew/Mushroomon's arm.  
"Look, let's split the money, do what we need to, and meet up later." B.J./Veedramon snatched up the pile of bills from Renamon and looked it over. "900, Divided by 5...that's 180...pair off with your partners. We'll each take our share, split up, and get what we can. Then we'll meet up..." He looked around. "Near that Pagoda thingie, and eat."  
"...That sounds good." Impmon said.  
"I can live with that." Rachael/Garudamon replied.  
"Good." The disguised Dragon-Digi split up the bills and handed out each share. "Let's say, an hour? No, Hour and a half, okay?" Everyone agreed, and shot off.  
"Wow...that was really mature of you, Veedramon." Veemon remarked.  
"Thanks." B.J./Veedramon said.  
"And NOBLE! Like 90 percent of that was yours, and you accepted having just a little so everyone could have some!" Veemon went on.  
His partner sighed. "Don't remind me. C'mon, let's find a repair shop."  
  
The time passed rather quickly, and 90 minutes later, the group began to trickle back together. Valerie/Gabumon and Monodramon were the first to reach the Pagoda like building, and awaited the others. B.J./Veedramon and Veemon were the next to return. "How'd it go?" She asked.  
"Pretty good...My Laptop's fine, hard as it is to believe, and I got a wireless modem for it cheap! Apart from that, I didn't find much of real use, but I did get this!" He pulled a book from his bag. "It's a textbook on Digital World history and mythology! It's meant for little Digimon, so it shouldn't be too far over our clueless heads." He put it away. "What'd you get?"  
"Not much...I spent my time in pubs trying to get information..." Valerie/Gabumon looked agitated.  
Veemon tilted his head to one side. "What's the matter?"  
Monodramon answered for her. "While in one establishment, a Sukamon tried to pick her up...nasty little creature. Va..I mean, Gabumon lost her temper...we had to pay to replace the chair she broke."  
"Ugly yellow wad of sh*t-looking thing..." She muttered. "Not only that, we didn't learn anything."  
"Hey Guys!" Andrew/Mushroomon and Renamon ran up.  
"So how'd you fare?" Val/Gabumon asked.  
"Ta-Da!" Andrew/Mushroomon pulled out a small device. "A Global Positioning System! And five wireless headsets in my pack! This place has the coolest stuff!"  
Renamon sighed. "I had to keep him away from the Art Supply store..."  
"But you didn't! I also got a new sketchbook and pencils!" Andrew/Mushroomon said, opening his pack to show them. "No one can silence an artist! No one MUST!" The rest of the group stared at him oddly.  
"We're back! Didja miss us?" Impmon appeared, riding on Rachael/Garudamon's shoulder. "And I made the best costume, bar none!"  
"How's that?" B.J./Veedramon asked.  
Rachael/Garudamon adjusted her helmet, a little embarrassed. "Apparently, we Garudamon are pretty intimidating...everywhere we went we got great service, discounts..."  
"Yeah...now if you'd only checked more places selling what we NEED, and less clothing stores!" Impmon said, leering.  
"Hey, you have to be well-prepared! My clothes aren't gonna protect me in a blizzard!" She argued.  
Her partner crossed his arms, grinning. "Riiight...I'm sure that Dark Blue number with the Jeans would have held up great."  
She shrugged him off her shoulder. "Little snitch...I DID manage to go to a grocery store...you can get almost anything non-perishable here." She lifted up a loaded bag of provisions.  
"Cool..." B.J./Veedramon said, then looked at his watch... "Where's, uh, Palmon? She's almost 15 minutes late."  
"Funny..." Rachael/Garudamon said. "She's usually very punctual..."  
  
Punctual wasn't her strong suit today, as Tawny/Palmon and X had not only failed to find anything they wanted...they had managed to get lost in the process.  
"It has to have been an hour and a half...where's that Pagoda?" Tawny/Palmon whined.  
"I don't know...the buildings are so tall here...and I smell grease and garbage...we're too close to the Industrial area." X muttered.  
Tawny/Palmon sighed. "Let's find a high point to get our bearings...and rid ourselves of this smell! Ick!" She looked around. "There's good!"  
Laughter came from behind them, and the duo spun around, facing down a trio of ugly, batwinged heads.  
"Hey cutie..." One responded.  
"What's a pretty little flower like you doing in a place like this?" Another added.  
"Are they coming on to me? That's so wrong!" Tawny/Palmon said, making a face.  
"Those are DemiDevimon." X muttered to her. "They may look like furry bowling balls, but their Evil Whisper is nothing to laugh at, and if you hated vaccinations, you'll LOATHE their Demi Dart! Their intentions are NEVER good, Palmon."  
"Lost there, honey?" The third flew up to her, taking her wrist in it's feet. "We can help you out, for a price." He puckered up.  
"Yuck! Buzz off, Bat-boy!" She pulled her hand away and slapped the creature clean across the face, the sound of the SMACK echoing through the empty alley.  
"OW! You little tramp...I oughta..." He was cut short by X stepping between him and Tawny/Palmon, growling. "Is he a..."  
"Boss! That Agumon's BLACK!" One said.  
"I see that!" Three shot back.  
"But Boss, that means he's the one the other Boss is looking for!" Two said.  
"Is that so..." Three snapped his claws together. "Get him! And save the little blossom for me..."  
"Right!" One and Two replied together, pulling needles from out of nowhere and throwing them. "Demi Dart!"  
"Whoah!" Tawny/Palmon leapt back, the points embedding themselves in the concrete. "Those things are sharp!"  
"Pepper Breath! HAH!" X coughed up a fireball at the pair, singing one's wing but not slowing it down.  
"Evil Whisper!" All three cried, thick, choking fog pouring from their mouths.  
"Tawny, we must run!" X said, coughing, and pushed the Palmon-Costumed girl away. The two broke into a run.  
"You're not getting away!" The DemiDevimon gave chase, pulling out more syringes. "Demi Dart!"  
  
"Palmon! X! Where are you?" Andrew/Mushroomon cried, looking around the dirty street. Renamon searched from a rooftop.  
"Does anyone realize how funny it is trying to call for someone by a name that isn't theirs?" Rachael/Garudamon said.  
"Screw the pseudonyms! TAWNY? TAWNY!" Valerie/Gabumon began shouting.  
"Guys!" Tawny could be seen stumbling towards them, her costume making her clumsy.  
"Keep Running!" X was right behind, making sure Tawny didn't stop.   
They rushed right by. Everyone blinked.  
B.J./Veedramon scratched his head. "What was that about?"  
"Demi Dart!" Three bizarre flying creatures soared past, pitching needles at the sprinting pair.  
"Nevermind..." B.J./Veedramon gave chase, soon joined by the rest.  
The chase led straight to an abandoned factory, it's gate left wide open. Without a second thought the black lizard and the Digi-Plant pretender went in, and toward the main building, the enemy and their allies hot on their heels.  
Speaking of HOT...the inside of the building was a sauna! Vats and troughs of molten metal flowed about the derelict building as though someone had forgotten to stop them.  
"Did we lose them?" Tawny said, gasping for breath.  
X was similarly tired. "No...but we can ambush them here..."  
"Think again! Evil Whisper!" The choking smoke forced them from their hiding place into the open.  
"We shoulda stuck with one of the others..." Tawny lamented.  
"We've had just about enough of you!" One sneered.  
"Yeah! Just you wait! We're gonna call the Boss!" Three said.  
The Trio lined up in a triangular formation, and began circling one another. Dark energy gathered, forming a portal from which a large, demonic monster stepped, just as the others caught up.  
Renamon's eyes grew wide. "Devimon!"  
"Who?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.  
"Devimon..." Monodramon began. "One hardcore evil Virus-type Digimon. His Death Claw slices through ANYTHING like warm butter!"  
"Boss! We found the troublemaker for ya! The Black Agumon!" Three began, the other two taking up subservient positions, heads bowed low.  
"X...what are they talking about?" Tawny asked nervously.  
X's glare never left Devimon. "Before I got the call, I'd been here for a few weeks preventing crime...this guy and his underlings are a chief source of misery for the people of Mechtropolis."  
"You've been spoling my fun for a while now, X, and I'd almost thought you'd packed up and gone...but luckily you're back, and with a friend, too...poor thing seems to be wilting in this heat..." Devimon gloated.  
"I'm startin' to feel sick..." Tawny/Palmon wavered on her feet...the plant life woven into her costume was drying up and withering away. The huge tropical flower slid off her head.  
"What the heck?" Two muttered.  
One's eyes went wide. "She's not a Palmon! She's one of those humans!"   
Tawny looked herself over... "Uh oh..."  
"She's busted..." Andrew/Mushroomon mumbled.  
B.J./Veedramon turned to the others. "C'mon, we gotta back them up!"  
"More troublemakers!" Devimon said, turning his gaze to where the others hid. "DemiDevimon squad, deal with them. The Agumon is mine..." The trio headed for the others.  
X stepped in front of Tawny, facing Devimon. "You want me, you have me, but Tawny stays out of it."  
"I'm afraid not, my dark-skinned, reptilian adversary...being Human, she's worth quite a lot to the right people...and being a friend of yours, she deserves to share your fate! Death Claw!" With a swing of Devimon's hand, a crescent-shaped beam of black energy soared toward them both, forcing them to dive aside in opposite directions.  
"Demi Dart!" Two thrust a syringe at Rachael/Garudamon, who only put her arms up in defense.  
"Bada BOOM!" Impmon's fireball knocked the needle off course. Rachael backed away to try and think, only to have one of her phony wings graze a trough of molten metal.  
"Aaah! My Wing's on fire! Put me out!" In one swift move she rid herself of the mantle and helmet.  
"Hey...this one's a fake too!" Two commented.  
"They all are!" Three added.  
"Not quite...Diamond Storm!" Renamon let fly with a focused stream of her icy projectiles. Three darted about rapidly to dodge them.  
"So much for the costumes..." Andrew said thankfully, tossing aside the mushroom-cap hat and pulling off the gloves.  
"Evil Whisper!" One had B.J. choking on fumes with little place to go, coughing so hard the papier-mache horns on his head and nose fell off. "That'll do him...now...Demi Dart!"   
B.J. ducked beneath the cloud as the syringe flew in after him...for a second, nothing happened...then the same dart came out back the way it came. "Think Fast!"  
"What-AAAGH!" The dart pierced One's Wing, and he fell to the ground, twitching as though paralyzed.  
Two was scanning the area. "Where'd the Gabumon go? Here puppy puppy..."  
"Over here, ya flying rat!" Valerie jumped out behind it and threw her makeshift pelt over the DemiDevimon. Unable to flap its wings, it fell to the ground, stuggling to get out from under the garment.  
"Allow me...Beat Knuckle!" Monodramon laid in a heavy punch to the trapped bundle, sending it rolling into a dumpster and knocking it unconscious.  
Three looked at the turning tide. "This isn't good...forget the Boss, I'm outta here!" It flew out an open window.  
"Now to help Tawny..." Rachael ran back towards the centre of the factory...but just as she rounded a corner, Impmon yanked her back...before she could step into a flow of molten metal. "Whoah!"  
"Slow it down, Rach, unless you wanna be Extra Crispy!" Impmon said, still tugging her away as the scalding mass spread. The others fanned out, but found no way past, until they climbed to a catwalk above the factory. From there, they could see that Devimon had shattered vat after vat with his Death Claw, effectively boxing in Tawny and X...who was pushing himself to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.  
"What happened, Black One? Where's this strength and intelligence I heard about...or was it just dumb luck?" Devimon gloated. X charged him in a fury, but the larger Digimon merely caught him by the throat, and threw him out of the magma-bordered battlefield.  
"X!" Tawny cried, before turning her gaze on Devimon. "You dirty..."  
"Say all you want...because before I finish the lizard, I'm going to make charcoal out of you!" Devimon took to the air, and turned to one last undamaged vat, easily one of the largest.  
"Hope you can swim...as if it would do you any good! Death Claw!" The black beam cleaved the vat open, its beyond boiling contents flowing out, coating the floor and speeding toward her.  
Tawny searched frantically...everywhere the molten metal was still hot, and far too wide to jump...and the wave was advancing. With nothing left to do she covered her face with her arms and waited, praying for a miracle.  
"Say goodbye to your litttle Friend, Black One!" Devimon said, grasping the downed digimon and turning his wide-eyed stare at the trapped human. Above him, the others watched in fear, some holding a furious Rachael back as she cursed and threatened the Devil Digimon, ready to jump down on him.  
Just before the wave would reach her, something began to glow under Tawny's feet...a glyph of some kind...and a column of flames appeared around the mark, encompassing her...the molten metal beat against the barricade, and flowed around it.  
Tawny brought her hands down, and looked around her. "What the...what is this? I'm not even warm!"  
Monodramon was leaning over the rail. "It's a Sacred Glyph, the Digital Symbol for Fire! Tawny! Tawny, touch the glyph!"  
Whether she heard or not, she was kneeling, her fingers brushing against the mark on the floor...she heard a tone, and pulled out the device she'd found before arriving.  
"Uplink Completed." The device spoke. "Loading..."  
The molten flow around her cooled and hardened almost instantly, before the flaming barricade, and the glyph itself were soaked into her device.  
_What the heck is-_ she thought, until she felt a prescence in her head, speaking calmly to her. _What? Well...okay, I trust you..._ She turned to Devimon with an angry glare. "Drop the Agumon!"  
Devimon laughed. "Just because you managed to live, you think I'm afraid of you? What do you possibly think you can do if I don't?"  
She confidently smirked at him. "How about this?" She readied her device before her, in both hands. "Soldier Program - Fire, Upload!  
Flames poured from the device, latching onto her clothes, until it looked like she was burning...her red shirt darkened to black, as did much of what she was wearing...designs like flames sprang up on her shirt and the legs of her jeans, while her spiked collar and bracelets turned a much darker red. The device stretched and grew, forming a pair of red and black nunchaku.  
Monodramon was stunned. "She Soldier-shifted...and there's the ultimate proof! One of the Arms of the Elements! The Fire Flail!"  
"Uh...what does it mean?" Darkness asked.  
Even Renamon was so stunned her usual calm was gone. "It means the myths are true! The Digital Soldiers exist! And Tawny is the Digital Soldier of Fire!"   
"Impossible!" Devimon cried. "They're just a myth! It's not real!"  
"What? I don't look real to you?" She grinned and held her weapon out before her. "Maybe THIS will convince you! Ember Rave!" She began swinging the nunchaku, small fireballs flying forth from each swing, spiraling toward Devimon.  
"My cue to exit!" X kicked Devimon in the stomach, forcing himself free and rolled away as the projectiles bombarded the enemy.  
"This is...a dream..." Devimon groaned, barely standing.  
"Nope...it's your worst nightmare!" She charged in and began beating the digimon viciously with the Fire Flail, each contact creating a burst of flame. "Hot Seat!"  
"Ugh...Death Claw!" The battered Devimon managed to backhand her roughly, and the following crescent of energy knocked her across the open space, flat on her back.  
"Tawny!" X cried, then growled at Devimon. "No one...touches...my PARTNER..." Tawny's weapon glowed, firing a bolt of bright energy into X, who was overtaken by the light.  
"X...digivolve to Greymon!" X had become a massive black tyrannosaur-like creature with a horned helmet.  
"I'm not going down like this..." Devimon groaned, and readied both hands. "Double Death-"  
X took a deep breath, and with a cry of "Nova Blast!" coughed up a massive ball of fire. it exploded on contact, sending the Devil digimon flying.  
"This isn't happening! The Soldiers are..." He didn't get to finish the remark as he burst into data. It swarmed around the building before splitting, equal parts soaking themselves into both Digimon and human.  
"Wow...that was...oh jeez..." Tawny wavered and fell back, he clothes returning to normal, and the weapon turning into her device again...X caught her before she could fall.  
"You okay?" He asked.  
"I feel lightheaded..."  
The others caught up to her, Andrew being the first. "That...was...INCREDIBLE! The pyrotechnics and the ass-kicking, and the flash and fire...and...WHOAH...you're way bigger up close, X!" X grinned back, showig a few too many teeth, and Andrew backed away.  
"That was an unbelievable display! No one picking up a NORMAL weapon like that could have been so proficient! You really ARE fit for the Role!" Monodramon said enthusiastically.  
"So...The Soldiers ARE Real...and we're them...at least Tawny is..." Rachael said quietly.  
"That was cool! Hey Tawny, do it again! C'mon!" Impmon said, bouncing up and down like an excited child.  
"I don't think I can...I'm so tired..." Tawny was barely standing on her own. "C'mon...let's get out of here..."  
  
A few minutes later, everyone was leaving the Industrial district headed back toward the markets, the sun just beginning to set in the west.  
"Tawny's discovery and transformation prove we're destined for great things!" Monodramon continued to babble on excitedly.  
"It also means great hardship." Renamon said simply.  
"What if we're not all Soldiers, though?" Valerie asked.  
Andrew laughed. "C'mon! If Miss Quiet and Unassuming is a Digital Soldier, how hard can it be?" He felt a tap on his shoulder, turned, and was suddenly grabbed by the collar, Tawny glaring into his eyes.  
"What was that, DORKness?" She scowled.  
"N..Nothing...Nothing at all!" He said nervously. "I didn't hear anything, did you guys? Heh heh..." His expression changed to fear. "Please don't burn me! I take it back!"  
"That's what I thought." She let him go, smiled, and moved to the front of the group. "Now, who's for dinner?"  
"Me!" Multiple voices chorused.  
"Cool...I'm buying." She said. "Hope you guys don't mind if we avoid barbecue for a while..."  
"I'm all for that!" Rachael chimed in, remembering her overly-flammable wings.  
"Well, the costumes are gone...now what do we do?" B.J. said. "They itched, but at least we weren't threatened."  
Tawny chuckled. "No one will mess with us! C'mon! We're Digital Soldiers! Now let's go EAT already!"  
Veemon leaned in to speak to X. "She's changed a lot in a day...she was so quiet before, now look at her! She's happy, energetic..."  
"Confident..." X added... "That's what I see most...Confidence...and it couldn't happen to a better person..."  
  
Many miles away, a quivering hagurumon soared up a long hall, toward a single, black throne.  
"M...Master...News has come from Mechtropolis...our local influence has been..." He gulped. "E-Eliminated."  
"Noted. Carry on." A shadowed voice replied.  
"B...But Master Malevolemon...what about-"  
The voice grew agitated. "Devimon was an incompetent peon, not worth the time taken to look at him. We won't bother replacing him. Carry on."  
The Gear-Shaped Digimon shivered as he continued. "Another thing, Master...one survivor of the incident claims there were humans there...and one female has learned to harness flames to her benefit."  
The figure straightened in his chair. "WHAT?" He calmed himself. "Did she have...a weapon? A pair of Nunchaku?"  
"Yes, sire..."   
The figure sat back, sighing angrily. "That'll be all. Dismissed."  
"Yes sire...praise the rule that will be yours, Master Malevolemon." The hagurumon made a hasty retreat.  
"The Council finally makes a move..." He turned to his side, where a crystal chess set lay...he picked up a single, glossy pawn, and set it forward two spaces. "Took them and their visier long enough...let's see how these humans play the field, before I plan my Gambit..."  
He chuckled. "Digital Soldiers...the fate of our world on the shoulders of HUMANS...this is no contest...it is a joke! We'll see what the council thinks of their precious legends when they find themselves in shallow graves!" Laughter rung loudly through the hall, frightening bats and creatures nestled in its darker corners.  
  
**Who's this guy think he is? What's he after...and what's with the lousy chess metaphors? You'll have to wait and see, until the next Digimon, Digital Soldiers!**


End file.
